The Sex Pistols have one very specific demand that must be met if they were to ever become holograms and go on to perform digitally like ABBA Voyage. Bassist Glen Matlock told the Daily Star: "I'll consider it only if they shave an inch and a half off my waistline."
Isle of Wight Festival Performance
The punk legends blasted through their seminal 1977 album at the Isle Of Wight Festival at the weekend with current singer Frank Carter, who has been touring with the band for almost two years as a replacement for John Lydon. Carter said of the response: "If you can't tell from my face I'm having the time of my life. What a gift it is to play with these three gentlemen every night."
New Music Possibilities
There was also talk of the punks recording new songs with Carter. Matlock admitted: "Not yet I'd like to, there's an expression within the band - can't be arsed, at least we're honest about it. I would've thought (Frank would be up for it) the problem is Steve (Jones) lives in America, Frank lives in Luton and I'm in Paddington so we're not all in the same tent or igloo." Last year Matlock told the Star: "We have ideas, and Frank is a very good lyricist. Everyone has ideas, but we're very busy at the moment and haven't had a chance to really work things out. And, above all, we have to ask ourselves if the public really wants us to release new music. In the end, who knows? I'm 69, Steve is 70, but, to paraphrase a James Bond, never say never again."
Past Recording Attempts
Sex Pistols haven't recorded together since the 1970s but they came close in the 1990s when they first reunited. "Steve, Paul, and I had actually been working on several ideas in rehearsal," said Matlock. "We played a cassette to John (Lydon), but he wasn't interested. It's a shame because I'm sure there was some good stuff on there. When Chris Thomas (producer of Never Mind The Bollocks) heard one of those songs, he told us that if John wrote decent lyrics, we were guaranteed a hit. But John didn't want to write. Maybe he thought those demos didn't sound like PIL enough. As far as I'm concerned, I don't want to do PIL. The Sex Pistols have to sound like the Sex Pistols!"
Lyric Changes and Modern Context
Live, the Pistols are trying to update their sound. They change a few lyrics - when Frank sings New York he swaps the word faggot for "f**ing loser." Matlock said: "He's from a different generation and he's the one singing, so it's a bit as he feels. The lyrics aren't set in stone, they're not the Bible, and Frank can adapt them a little if there are things that bother him. And you have to keep in mind that the climate today is very different from when the lyrics were written." Carter added: "Their music and lyrics are more relevant than ever. They're a reflection on society and our lifestyle. You might have hoped that, fifty years after these lyrics were written, our world would have evolved. It hasn't really. But these lyrics are also really cool to sing. Johnny was incredibly gifted at writing lyrics. It's an honour for me to sing them every night."
